CUCKOO, THE RAIN PROPHET 171 



slipping from the cover of one tree or thicket to that of 

 another, generally alone, and frequently uttering the harsh 

 gutteral note from which it has long since acquired the 

 name ' ^ rain crow. ' ' I never have understood why it should 

 be called a crow. Certainly it does not resemble the crows 

 in our country either in voice, appearance, or manner of 

 life. 



The cuckoo is often heard calling on cloudy days, or 

 just before rains, and for this reason it is usually accred- 

 ited with the power of foretelling the coming shower. It 

 cannot sing; but it has some notes peculiarly its own, 

 which, once heard, are not easily forgotten. ^'Tut-tut, 

 tut-tut/' it seems to say, '' cl-uck-cl-uch, cow, cow, coiv/' 



In Europe there is a bird called the cuckoo. It is larger 

 than our bird by that name and, besides, is quite a pretty 

 singer. It is not shy; so a great many people are ac- 

 quainted with its habits. It was well known when the Bible 

 was written, and you can find its name in the list of animals 

 which the Children of Israel were forbidden to eat. 

 Shakespeare in one of his plays tells us about the cuckoo 's 

 young. Some of the English poets speak of its singing. 



The earliest English lyric poem begins in this way ; 



"Summer is i-cumen [coming] in, 

 Lhude [loud] sings cuccuj 

 Groweth sed [seed] 



